Rasmus Rasmussen dot com

As I write these words, I am getting close to getting my ”diamond canister” on iStockphoto. That is exciting news. It means that I have reached the ultimate goal there, which also happens to include the highest royalty pay-out, and sold more than 25.000 photographs. And not only that but, right next to my name, a small sparkling film-canister will appear for the world to see. But in the end, none of this is really why I will be drinking champagne on the day it actually happens. When I reach diamond, I will celebrate a journey that has taken me much further than I could have possibly imagined. A journey that completely changed my life many times over. A journey that started back in 2000, when I read an entry on a website about this new start-up. Mind you, this was back in the dot com days of glory, so in itself a new start-up was nothing interesting. The fact that the recommendation to check it out came from a Jeffrey Zeldman, who happened to publish my favorite site at the time, made me take a peek. The website was iStockphoto and the concept was unique: Photographers share photos with designers, and by uploading your own, you can download more. It was web 2.0 when the internet was still barely out of beta.

At the time, I was working on a series of mock-up web designs for a company that no longer exists, and the idea of getting stock photography this way intruiged and inspired me to want to give a little back. So I borrowed the brand new 1.3 megapixel camera from the office and went to work.

Skip ahead a couple of years. I am now working for another agency, taking pictures with my very own camera. Design work was beginning to bore me, especially the endless meetings, last minute changes, programming problems and salespeople who had promised more than we could deliver. In the meantime, I had stuck with iStockphoto, who had adjusted their business model with the times. This meant that photographers were getting a little cash, whenever someone downloaded their images. This was the first micropayment site, I had ever encountered, and it was born out of the enthusiasm of everyone involved – not some calculated profit scheme. Lucky for me, the agency I was slaving for finally shut down its web design department and I was let go. That was what finally made me switch away from IT and start from scratch on the path, that would lead me to where I am today; I enrolled in a photography class.

Going Steady with iStockphoto

From there, everything seemed to take off. Prior to my first visit to iStock, I had little to no experince with photography. Once I got serious about learning the trade, iStock proved to be the perfect companion. For two years, I attended school full time, learning everything from darkroom technique to Photoshop mastering, working with natural light and in studios, shooting obejcts, landscapes and people alike. As I learned the basics of photography, my number of images sold began to rise faster. As my portfolio got better, I started culling out a lot of the earlier images, increasing the appeal of my work as a whole. I became active in the forums on the site, and learned a lot from other photographers and designers. It was interesting to learn more about what clients were looking for, how images were being used and simply getting to know like-minded people all over the world.

One day, as a complete surprise to me, I was asked to become an iStockphoto image inspector. It sounds easy enough: Look at images uploaded by the contributing photographers at iStockphoto, and check to see that the photos match the standards for technical quality, lighting and composition, set by iStock policy. But it is anything but easy. Mostly because that behind each image is a person, whose feelings can get hurt by a harsh rejection, yet, if everything is let in, there are no standards at all. It is a fine line to be sure, and as an inspector you never stop learning.

While inspecting, I have seen thousands of images, taken with all sorts of cameras from cheapie point and shoots to ultra high-end Hasselblads with digital backs. I know which cameras have what problems and some of the most common issues with various lenses. I can tell the difference between a digital shot and a scanned negative in a split second, and sometimes even tell you if an image is going to cut it as stock, just from looking at a thumbnail. Like anyone who does a lot of repetitive work, and trust me, looking at image after image, day after day is repetitive, I have developed an eye for little details on both sides of both camera and the iStockphoto agency. This knowledge is what I will be sharing over the course of my writing here, hoping to perhaps inspire others, give a few tips and pointers, and of course draw attention to my own photography.

Doing It For The Love of Doing It

I have been extremely fortunate, even though I am by no means the best selling or most talented photographer, simply to be part of all of this. From the first picture, which I think was of a half-empty parking lot in dull, random lighting, to my moving across the planet and starting a life with another iStock photographer, this has been a magical ride. Yet, in spite of all the changes to my personal life, I think of myself as part of a new generation of photographers fostered by microstock agencies like iStock. We work side by side with hobbyists and amateurs (from birdwatchers to stay-at-home moms who sometimes end up turning professional themselves). A generation of photographers who work both together and in open competition, and whose images are constantly seen, judged and bought by both clients and peers. It is fast and cheap and more fun than I had thought any work could ever be. We learn by doing, books and from each other, and we welcome anyone who wishes to join our ranks.

This is roughly the story of how I got into photography and fairly quickly turned it into a career. Most people will not take it that far, but might earn enough from selling microstock images to pay for their hobby, a new car or the alamony, and all from having fun. It takes dedication and work to get a working portfolio, so don’t quit your dayjob quite yet, but by all means sign up and get into it. There’s no telling where it might take you.

This post is part 1 in a series about my experiences with stock photography, tips and pointers, meant to offer a little inspiration to those interested in such things. The next episode will be about microstock as a medium and more on the semi-pro photographers. For a complete and chronological list of articles, check out the Microstock Photographer’s Guide.

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• Life as an Image Inspector
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